


Stars Can't Shine Without Darkness: A Stardust AU

by Liamsabbzzz



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Bottom!Harry, F/M, Harry is the star, Louis is trying to impress eleanor, M/M, Smut, Stardust!AU, but mostly one-up nick, louis is tristan, top!Louis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-14
Updated: 2016-09-15
Packaged: 2018-08-15 02:13:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8038228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liamsabbzzz/pseuds/Liamsabbzzz
Summary: Are we human because we gaze at the stars, or do we gaze at them because we are human? Pointless, really.
  
  Do the stars gaze back? Now, that’s a question. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
  
  Our story begins here, 150 years ago at the Royal Academy of Science in London, England, where a letter arrived, containing a very strange inquiry. It had come from a country boy, and the scientist who read it thought it might’ve been a practical joke of some kind.
  
  But he duly wrote a reply, politely explaining that the query was nonsense. And posted it to the boy, who lived in a village called Wall, so named, the boy had said, for the wall that ran alongside it.
  
  A wall, according to local folklore, hid an extraordinary secret.

 
ORA Stardust AU in which Harry is a fallen star who's only ever seen love from afar and Louis is the handsome outcast searching for the right one.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> HIIIIIII  
> So this is something super duper spontaneous and i'm not sure how it's gonna go but we'll see! As you can probably tell, this is based on the movie Stardust (which if you haven't seen it, please go watch on netflix NOW)  
> Before you read, there are a few things I'd like to mention:  
> 1\. This is the same as the movie...but not the same. I've used many exact quotes from the movie but i've also changed it up a bit to show Louis' real personality. I've mainly made his purpose for marrying Eleanor as proving himself to Nick Grimshaw and the village instead of him being head over heels for her. oops. sorry.  
> 2\. there WILL be smut! Wooooooh. So yes, obviously different from the movie, but if you're not into that, the fic is chaptered so you can skip it if you please :)  
> 3\. I've cut out some of the extra scenes with the witches and princes and have mostly chosen to just sum those parts up (one, because im lazy, and two, i want this to be a bit more of a shorter fic.) i'll still include all of the vital info though, so no worries!
> 
> I hope you guys like it! I promise i'll try not to bail on this fic since i failed on my last one but oh well, shit happens.  
> ENJOY AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK SO FAR.  
> I will be updating as soon as i can! (probably a couple days apart, maybe hours, who knows really)

_Are we human because we gaze at the stars, or do we gaze at them because we are human? Pointless, really._  
_Do the stars gaze back? Now, that’s a question. But I’m getting ahead of myself._  
_Our story begins here, 150 years ago at the Royal Academy of Science in London, England, where a letter arrived, containing a very strange inquiry. It had come from a country boy, and the scientist who read it thought it might’ve been a practical joke of some kind._  
_But he duly wrote a reply, politely explaining that the query was nonsense. And posted it to the boy, who lived in a village called Wall, so named, the boy had said, for the wall that ran alongside it._  
_A wall, according to local folklore, hid an extraordinary secret._

“I’m tellin’ ya, you will not be goin’ through there!”  
William stared unimpressed at the old hag of a man leaning much too heavily on his cane. He peaked around the man with a raised eyebrow and crossed his arms.  
“And why is that? All I see is a field, a quite empty field really. So what’s the problem?”  
“Hundreds of years this wall has been here and hundreds of years this gap has been on a 24-hour guard! Don’t you understand, boy? This is a portal to another world, you can’t just ask me to _let you through!_ ” The old man spat, scandalized.  
William sighed heavily and carefully put his hand on the old man’s shoulder gently. “Just look, sir. Do you see any magical kingdom? Anything nonhuman?” He gestured casually towards the other side of the stone wall, old and near-crumbling, that surrounded his village. “No, you don’t. Because it’s a _field_.”  
“One more word outta you and the next person you’ll be speaking to is one from the village council!” The old man’s bushy eyebrows inched together as he frowned angrily, his tone final.  
“Well,” William mumbled sadly, “I guess that’s it then. I’ll just head home.” He slumped his shoulders and pouted his lip in mock defeat.  
The old man grunted and move to turn back to the wall, his cane digging into the muddy grass. “Yes you will. Tell your father I send my best, will you, William?”  
As soon as the old man was turned around, William made the hastiest decision of his life and took off in a run for the wall. He leapt, heart racing, through the gap and took off into the trees.  
“Stop!” William heard the old man screech. “No, stop!”(

)  
He kept running and running until his lungs burned in protest and he had lost sight of the wall behind him. As he slowed to a walk, he took in his surroundings, wondering why people acted so weird about this place. The stars shined just as bright, the wind blew just as gently, and the air smelled just as fresh. Nothing different about it. Not soon after, he saw bright lights through the trees some miles ahead and as he reached the clearing, he realized he was looking at a marketplace. This must be some kind of joke, he thought. He had literally just sprinted into the next town over, nothing magical about it. 

  
But. Wait.

  
Why is it now daytime(

  
William glanced around in wonder as he noticed the stars had disappeared and had been replaced by white fluffy clouds and the bluest sky he had ever seen.  
Not only that, but as he gave a closer look to the market itself, he could see the strangest things being sold off; miniature elephants (that were actually _alive_ ), and real eyeballs that just stared at him as he passed. William jumped as one seemed to blink at him. The bustling around him was a blur as he took in this magical place, too struck with disbelief to pay attention to it.  
As his eyes slid along table after table of the seemingly impossible, they caught on something bright and yellow…or rather, some _one_.  
The woman was absolutely beautiful, long, brown curly hair dancing down her shoulders and a turquoise dress adorning her slim figure. She was sat in a large, bright yellow wagon, staring at William shyly but unwaveringly. He stared right back, even as he was bumped from either side by the other villagers.  
“I don’t deal with time-wasters,” a voice suddenly croaked to his right and he turned suddenly towards a frizzy mess of a woman with crooked teeth and oily skin. She gave a hard look to the woman in blue and muttered, “come tend to this stall, I’m going for a pint.”  
The beautiful woman hastily made her way to the table in front of William and, even though she was graceful enough, she put her hands on her hips and smirked at William. “See anything you like?”  
“Um..” William stuttered, “definitely.” The woman laughed and blushed slightly. “I…I mean. These ones, yes, these blue ones right here.” William gestured towards the array of flowers scattered about the table and pointed at the sky blue ones, a small bustle of blooms.  
The woman smiled slightly and shrugged, her brown hair falling into her eyes. “You don’t want the bluebells, try these,” she leaned and plucked a single white flower from the table and held it in front of William. “Snowdrop. It’ll bring you luck,” she smirked once more at him.  
William’s brain short-circuited at her beauty and just managed to stutter out, “But, what does that cost?”  
The woman stared at him intensely, straight in the eye, “This one right here, costs a kiss.”  
He swallowed audibly as the woman took the liberty to tuck the dainty flower in the pocket of William’s jacket. She then leaned back again and pointed at her cheek, smiling brightly. William smiled as well and as he leaned in, the woman captured his lips with her own instead. The kiss was the most passionate one he had ever felt in all of his years and briefly he wondered, is this a part of the magic too?  
They parted and she leaned her forehead on his, still smiling. “Is she gone?” she asked mischievously. William glanced around, but didn’t see the old hag, and startled when he felt the woman slide her hand in his own. “Come on,” she encouraged, turning for the yellow wagon.  
As she climbed the steps, William noticed something sparkling along her ankle, clinging against the steps as she crept up them. “Oh,” she said softly, lifting the bottom of her dress to show off a glittering chain. “I’m a princess, tricked into being a witch’s slave. Will you liberate me?” She asked this almost playfully, but William wasted no time pulling his pocket knife from his trouser pocket. He crouched down and as he cut the chain in two, it magically melded itself back together in a flash. “It’s an enchanted chain,” the woman explained. “I’ll only be free when she dies. Sorry.” She turned back to the yellow wagon.  
William thought for a second and then blurted, “Well, if I can’t liberate you, what do you want of me?”  
She smiled and then reached out for his hand once more, pulling him up the steps and into the yellow wagon. She then shut the doors and turned to him with bright eyes. “Let me show you.”

 

 

_So the scientist was wrong. The wall had successfully done its job of hiding the kingdom of Stormhold. The young man returned that night to his home in England, hoping that his adventure would soon be forgotten._  
_But nine months later, he received an unexpected souvenir in the form of a baby wrapped in soft blankets. And he came with a name: Louis._

_Eighteen years passed and the baby Louis grew up, knowing nothing of his unconventional heritage. But never mind how the infant became a boy. This is the story of how Louis Tomlinson becomes a man, a much greater challenge altogether._

  
_For to achieve it, he must win the heart of his one true love._

“Louis! Don’t forget the flowers!”  
Louis bounded down the stairs in a rush, almost tripping in his haste to take the freshly cut blooms out his father’s waiting hand, “Got ‘em! Not to worry, father.”  
He rushed out the door, barely hearing his father’s quickly reassuring “Good luck!” He breathed in the fresh evening air and set out on his way to Eleanor’s, a bounce in his step despite his nerves. This was it, he was going to finally confess his love to the woman of his dreams.  
As he arrived at her window, he glanced to the ground and picked up a small, smooth stone. Not letting the anxiety get the best of him, he wasted no time in chucking the rock at the glass of Eleanor’s bedroom. Not long after, he heard giggling and three girls appeared at the window, unlocking it.  
“Nicholas?” Eleanor called, smiling down expectantly. Her smile dropped when she realized it was Louis. “Oh, just you. Did I leave something at the shop?”  
Louis fish-mouthed for a few seconds, not knowing how to react to this clear rejection. “No, I uh just thought that I would uh—“  
He knew who appeared beside him before he even felt Eleanor’s flowers get swatted from his hand.  
“Louis Tomlinson,” an arrogant voice hummed. “Shop boy by day, peeping tom by night,” Nick Grimshaw looked Louis up and down distastefully. “Is there no end to your charms?” He swatted at Louis with the same sword he used to knock his flowers to the ground.  
“Ow!” Louis protested, stumbling back and clutching at his chest in pain.  
“Oh, Nicholas, there’s no need for that,” Eleanor called sweetly from her bedroom window, her two friends behind her giggling like schoolgirls. “Be nice to the poor boy.”  
“Ahhh,” Nick sang, seeming to finally notice the torn up flowers in the dirt. “Where those for Eleanor?”  
Louis fumed and immediately searched the ground for a stick that could sub as a sword. He found one and held it up to Nick, eyes blazing. “Try me,” he muttered, even though he knew he most likely wouldn’t stand a chance. Louis wasn’t the type to back down though, especially with Grimshaw of all people.  
Nick smirked and as soon as Louis went for his first strike, he parried it and whacked Louis on the back of the head. Louis rubbed at it with clenched teeth and immediately thrust forward again, only to be knocked on his bum in the blink of an eye. He opened his eyes and saw Nick’s ugly smirking face leaning over him. “You were always rubbish at fencing in school, Louis,” He chuckled to himself. “In fact, I’m having trouble remembering if there was anything you were good at.”  
“Nicholas,” Eleanor said, trying to act stern, but her heart-eyes betrayed her. “That’s enough.”  
Nick smirked one last time at Louis’ star-fished position in the dirt and adjusted his collar.  
"Are you alright?," Eleanor asked airily, already moving to help Nick in through the open window.  
“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine,” Louis muttered as he slowly stood up and brushed the dust off of his trousers.

Louis wasn’t desperate for Eleanor. He wasn’t, really. He was just desperate to prove himself. The only way it seemed that he could do that is if he won the fairest woman in the village all by his own charm…or what little he had of it. Louis was that one boy in school who was a little too loud, a little too annoying, and a little too…into men. Okay, well no one really knew that last bit, but Louis felt that it always showed, especially to his father. He wasn’t ashamed of it, absolutely not, but everyone else would be, and Louis was sick of being the underdog in the village. He wanted to finally be the one on top, the one that everyone envied, and he was determined to make it happen. Starting with winning Eleanor. She was beautiful, no doubt about it, and Louis had no qualms in saying that he was fairly attracted to her. Woman or man, Louis didn’t really judge.

Louis had woken up that morning with the mindset that he wouldn’t let last night get to him. It was a new day and thus, a new chance to win Eleanor. Lost in his thoughts, Louis startled as he realized he was late for work, and he galloped down the stairs, tripping under his feet slightly as he reached the kitchen where his father was sitting drinking tea.  
“You alright, Louis?” William asked perking up as he noticed Louis’ presence.  
“Wha-Oh! Yeah. I’m good,” Louis mumbled as he scavenged the small room for his coat.  
“Well it’s just…I mean, how did it go?” His father asked happily. “Last night.”  
Louis closed his eyes and took a deep breath, morphing his features into what he hoped was a reassuring smile as he turned to face William. “Great! Yeah, really really great actually.” He finally found his coat and put it on in a rush, thanking the Lord that he had an excuse to leave. “I’m late for work actually so I’ll just..” Louis nodded towards the door and then stepped out into the morning air, heading to work at the general store down the street.

Thankfully, Louis only had a small scolding from his boss as he arrived just late of his scheduled shift. Immediately he got to work, assisting customers with their various needs.  
Not long after noon, the bell rung above the door to the shop and Eleanor walked in, looking as elegant as ever. She saw Louis and smiled sweetly, cutting to the front of the line and leaning on the counter towards him.  
“Hello.”  
“Eleanor-“ Louis started but Eleanor cut him off.  
“A pound of sugar please,” She stated easily. The woman in line looked at Eleanor in annoyance and rolled her eyes.  
“Uh, yeah, sure,” Louis mumbled, unsure of how to respond to Eleanor cutting in front of the rest of the customers so carelessly. Eleanor continued her order anyway.  
“Let’s see, uh, a bag of flour, a dozen eggs,” She trailed off, as if she suddenly remembered that it was Louis in front of her. “Oh look, I’m sorry about last night, Nicholas was really very rude.” Barely another breath later, she finished up her long list of grocery needs, the other people in line seemed to grow increasingly agitated.  
As Louis scrambled around the shop to retrieve all of her items, he realized that this was his chance to win her over again. “Uhm, is there any chance I might be able to see you tonight?” He asked hopefully as he dropped her sack of potatoes on the counter.  
Eleanor smirked and shrugged one dainty shoulder. “No, but you may walk me home.”  
Louis hesitated. “Uh, now?”  
Eleanor only just nodded and smiled sweetly. Fuck. He couldn’t just leave his job early, but this was a chance! Another one that had been bestowed on him that he just couldn’t waste. “Yeah, yes, let’s go then.” He picked up her bags and followed her out the door.

Louis was screwed. Simply put. He lost his job and now he was an even bigger failure than before. The walk home with Eleanor had accomplished nothing either, as she only bid him goodbye and essentially slammed the door in his face. Now he had to tell his father and, well, that was not something to look forward to.  
“You lost your job.” Was the first thing William said as he walked in the front door and saw Louis staring at his hands clasped in front of him at the kitchen table.  
“Father…I’m sorry,” Louis mumbled. “Maybe Mr. Monday was right. Maybe I’m not good enough for a job, or Eleanor, or anyone for that matter.”  
“He said that?” His father asked, sounding irritated. “That’s bullshit.”  
Louis sighed and looked up at him. “Last night. It didn’t really go all that great. If I’m being honest.”  
“What?”  
“I’m not like Nick. He’s got natural charm and good looks. He’s got a lot going for him and everyone knows it, especially Eleanor,” Louis scrubbed his hands down his face and laid his head down on the table.  
“Louis, I don’t know a single ‘popular’ person who’s led a remarkable life. Not a single one. You’ve got a lot going for you, too, I reckon you just don’t see it yet.” His father placed a reassuring hand on Louis’ shoulder, and Louis decided that at least this once, he should listen to him.

Later that night, Louis decided to give it another go at impressing Eleanor. He would do it this time. He knew it. He had a surprise for her, and she would be over the moon once she saw.  
He made his way to her window again, once more throwing a small, smooth pebble at it. The déjà vu was unsettling but he didn’t let it affect him. Not long after the first pebble hit the glass with a smack, Eleanor appeared behind it, but when she saw Louis again, she sighed irritably. “Louis I told you not to come."  
“I know, I know!” Louis agreed. “But I have something to show you, a surprise. Please come with me, won’t you?”  
Eleanor rolled her eyes, obviously annoyed, but made her way outside to Louis anyway. “My birthday was last month, you know. You’re a bit late.” She smiled at him, though it was obviously faked.  
Louis just smiled and led her to a field just beyond the trees that lined their road. He had lit candles and even brought champagne. It would’ve cost him a fortune at the general store, but seeing as he was fired, he took it upon himself to snag a few bottles before he left.  
“This is wonderful! I’ve never had champagne this lovely,” Eleanor complimented as Louis poured her another glass. They had been talking for quite some time now, and Eleanor seemed to be genuinely enjoying it. Louis wished he could actually tell, though. With her, he never knew. “How could you afford all of this? Being a shop boy, you know.”  
Louis flinched at her words, but tried not to let it show. “Uh, not a shop boy. Not anymore,” He tried, offering her a playful smile.  
“Ahh, right. I heard, sorry about that,” She mumbled as she took another sip from her glass, manicured fingers shining in the moonlight.  
Louis sat up on his knees and tried to reassure her. She may have been the reason he got fired, but it was his decision to leave the shop with her after all. “No, no, it’s quite alright. It leaves me free to do other things. I can be whoever I want to be without being tied down to that damn shop. I want to travel the world. And I will.” Louis smiled to himself, imagining becoming a completely new person in a completely new place.  
“You sound just like Nicholas,” Eleanor giggled into her glass. “He says the same things. You know he’s going all the way to Ipswich just to buy me a ring?”  
And wait. What?  
“Ipswich?” Louis tried to laugh. “Uh, why is he buying you a ring? What kind of ring?” He was afraid to hear the answer.  
“He’s planning to propose to me sometime soon, he’s told me,” She smiled at Louis innocently, as if he was one of her friends that she gushing to about a crush.  
“And…you’re going to say yes?” Louis winced as he said it, tried to keep the disappointment out of his voice.  
“Well I can’t exactly say no, after he’s gone all the way to Ipswich!” She laughed at Louis like he was stupid and the smile that Louis had tried to keep on his face fell off immediately.  
You know what? Fuck Nick. Fuck him and stupid Ipswich and the stupid ring. Louis wouldn’t let him win Eleanor over. Louis would win this time and prove to everyone that he has what it takes to get the girl. Nick wouldn’t win, not this time.  
“Eleanor,” Louis whispered, taking her hand. “For your hand in marriage, I would cross oceans and continents. An erupting volcano even! I would go to the gold fields of San Francisco and bring back your weight in gold.”  
Eleanor giggled, obviously tipsy from her many glasses of champagne.  
“I would go to the arctic and slaughter a polar bear for you!” Louis continued. He knew how to make up ridiculous crap, the little ones at the church loved him for it. “And from that polar bear, I’ll bring you its head!”  
Eleanor immediately leaned back and scoffed. “A polar bear head? What kind of nasty shit is that?”  
Louis grimaced at himself and stared at the ground. Okay, maybe too ridiculous.  
“Oh, Louis,” Eleanor sighed. “You’re very funny, it’s just…people like you and me, we’re not meant to ride off into the sunset together and live happily ever after. I’m meant to be with men like Nicholas. It is how it is.” She sighed as if she was telling Louis the weather and got to her feet. “I should go, it’s getting late.”  
Louis just sighed.

_Had Louis known then how the stars watched earth, he would’ve shuttered at the thought of having an audience to his humiliation._  
_But, fortunately for him, nearly every star in the sky was at that moment, looking in earnest to the village on the other side of the wall, where the king of all Stormhold lay on his deathbed, which was a coincidence because it was the King’s final act that would change the course of Louis’ destiny forever._  
_The King had seven sons, four of which had already passed many years ago. He also had daughter, a princess who was lost long ago. It was no secret to anyone that only one son could be the heir to the throne, so the men had taken it upon themselves to start widdling out the competition; However, on this day, with the King’s remaining three sons by his bedside, he made a declaration. He declared that whomever found the ruby that hung around the King’s neck, would be the rightful heir to the throne. As he performed this act, he passed on, and the ruby shot up to the heavens, knocking a single star from the sky._

“Oh Louis look! A shooting star! It’s beautiful,” Eleanor pointed excitedly towards the sky at a bright ball of light flying towards the earth.  
Louis looked up at Eleanor hopefully. “Even more beautiful than a ring from Ipswich?”  
When Eleanor looked at him quizzically, Louis took her hand once more, forcing her to sit back down with him. “Eleanor, for your hand in marriage, I’d cross the wall and bring you back that fallen star.”  
Eleanor laughed at him like he was ridiculous. “You can’t just cross the wall, nobody crosses the wall. Now you’re just being silly.”  
“I’m not being silly. I’ll do it.” Louis insisted. A star would beat Grimshaw’s stupid ring in a heartbeat, no doubt.  
Eleanor looked thoughtful for a moment and then smirked, “Hmm, my very own star.” She glanced over at Louis and then nodded decisively. “It seems we have ourselves an agreement.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! So i had some free time today and decided i would use it to write another 2500 words or so. I apologize that these chapters are so short, but im trying to get them up in quick succession, so im hoping that makes up for it! 
> 
> Also in this chapter, HARRY AND LOUIS FINALLY MEET. EEEEEP. okay, tell me what you think! :-)

_The star fell and fell, closer and closer to the cold ground of earth. Louis and Eleanor weren’t the only ones to spot the gleaming ball of light, oh no. A wizard by the name of Simon, many centuries old, witnessed the fall of the star as well. And he also wanted it for himself. If this wizard found the star, he would kill it, and use its power to keep himself young and handsome for many, many years. He was very talented at such, this wizard, for he had much experience in tricking fallen stars into his lair. As he spotted the star, he ran into his lair, nearly tripping over his moth-eaten robes in his haste. He devoured what was left of the last star he killed, transformed his wrinkled face into that of a young man, and went on his way in search of the fallen star deep in the forests of Stormhold._  


Louis heaved a deep sigh as he found his way back home. He had tried to go through the gap in the wall at the edge of the village, but an old hag of a man with a ragged old cane nearly whacked him to death when he tried. Apparently he’s had experience with trespassers, Louis thought bitterly.  
“What happened to you?” William asked as soon as Louis set foot through the front door, holding his forehead in pain.  
“The guard. At the wall,” Louis muttered without explanation.  
Williams eyebrows furrowed together and he inspected Louis closer. “And why, may I ask, where you trying to cross the wall?”  
Louis looked up at his father with narrowed eyes and paused in his movements towards the sink, “I might ask you the same thing.”  
William’s eyes widened and then relaxed again, and he slumped lower in his chair at the kitchen table. “I think…that, uh, it’s probably time to mention to you your mother.”  
Louis’ head bolted up from scrubbing his hands and he stared at his father in surprise. “My—my mother? I have a mother?”  
Louis’ father nodded his head and grunted as he gestured for Louis to take a seat next to him. He regaled Louis with the tale of how he met the beautiful princess slave who was Louis’ mother, and how Louis came to him. His father opened a basket and handed Louis a small sliver of a silver chain.  
“Mom’s chain! From the story!” Louis took it in his hands gingerly and stared down at it in awe, watching it glitter in the candlelight.  
“Ahh, and this,” William said, handing Louis a single white flower. “She told me that it would bring me luck, and now it will for you.”  
“Thank you, father,” Louis smiled thankful at him.  
“One more thing…” His father trailed off, reaching down in the basket for a roll of parchment. “I’ve never read it. It, uh, was addressed to you.” He handed the parchment off to Louis and Louis slowly unraveled it.  
Inside the parchment was a small black candle. Louis handed it off to his father for the moment being as he read the letter from his mother. “My dearest Louis, please know that I only ever wanted the best for you. Had my mistress allowed it, I would have kept you in a heartbeat. My dearest wish is that we will meet someday. The fastest way to travel is by candlelight. To use it, think of me and only me. I will think of you every day, for always. Your mother.”  
Louis slowly looked up and smiled gingerly at his father, who returned the grin. He gestured at the candle in his hand. “You need a light?”  
Louis’ grin grew even more and he nodded. His father struck a match, lit the candle, and in the blink of an eye, Louis’ eyes were blinded with a fiery golden light and he was gone.  


The first thing Harry realized was that his arse hurt like hell.  
“Ow,” He groaned, slowly sitting up. He looked around and realized that yes, he had in fact fallen. From the sky. From his _home_. Preposterous.  
He noticed something gleaming in the moonlight out of the corner of his eye and found a necklace lying on the ground not two feet from him. As he inspected it, he found that it was a simple thick chain with what looked like a washed out gemstone embedded. “So you’re what knocked me on my bum,” Harry pouted at it petulantly, silently cursing the damned thing that he now had to be stuck on earth. With humans. Pity. He thumbed at the clasp and placed the chain around his neck, for safe-keeping of course.  
He then stood and found himself stuck directly in the center of a monstrous crater. That would explain the throbbing arse then. As he was contemplating a way out, the sky suddenly shined with a bright gold light, and Harry realized the light was heading right for him.  
“Ahhh!” He shrieked and dove out of the way, but not before something crashed in to him, knocking him to the ground. Again.  
“Shit.” A raspy voice mumbled above him. Harry squeezed his eyes shut in irritation. “Oh, oh, mate I’m so sorry! Are you alright?”  
Harry finally opened his eyes and glared at the boy on top of him, brown feathery hair falling down into his eyes and nearly tickling Harry’s forehead. “No, I’m not. And I’m not your mate so get off me!”

 

Louis hesitated and took a better look at the young boy lying beneath him. He had dark brown curly locks that looked silky to the touch, and milky white skin that almost shined in the moonlight. Those subtle tones contrasted greatly, though, with his striking green eyes. He was beautiful and Louis found himself dumbstruck for a moment.  
“Hello?” A voice dragged him from his drooling. “You gonna help me up or not?”  
“Oh! Uh, yes, of course!” Louis stuttered out, grasping the young lad's hand and pulling him to his feet.  
Louis closed his eyes and turned away, extremely confused. He was specifically supposed to think of his mother. So why did he end up here, of all places? Not that he was complaining, the boy was beautiful. But Louis was on a mission. And—wait. His mission. Shit! He thought of the star and Eleanor briefly before his father lit the candle. Louis looked around. A crater! So he is where the star landed! Louis immediately turned to the boy, who was brushing the dust off of his silver jumper. Wow, Louis thought, quite an interesting outfit choice.  
“Excuse me, mate,” Louis laughed uncomfortably. “Uhm, this may seem strange, but have you seen a fallen star anywhere?” Louis continued to search around the crater until he heard the boy chuckling behind him.  
“Oh, so he’s funny,” The boy remarked sarcastically.  
“No really!” Louis insisted. “This is a crater, this must be where it fell.”  
The boy nodded at Louis with raised eyebrows, as if he was dense. “Yeah this is where it fell.” He smiled sarcastically. “Or if you want to be really specific, up there this weird, bloody necklace came out of nowhere and knocked it out of the heavens when it was minding its own business!” The boy threw his hands up frantically. Louis opened his mouth to say something, but the boy cut him off again. “And over there is where it landed,” Harry stated, pointing to the center of the crater. “And right _here_ , is where it got hit by a magical flying moron!”  
Louis stared dumbly at the boy, his mouth hanging open. So does that mean…? “You’re the star?” Louis asked incredulously. “Really?!”  
The boy in silver just gave Louis another unimpressed look and rolled his eyes.  
“I…I had no idea you’d be a, well,” Louis gestured towards the boy’s form and the boy just nodded in annoyance. Louis then suddenly remembered his mission and slowly reached into his pocket to grasp the enchanted chain his father had given him. “I must, though, apologize in advance,” He smiled sheepishly at the boy.  
The boy looked up at Louis in surprise and furrowed his eyebrows, “for what?”  
“This,” Louis said and then quickly grasped the boy’s wrist and attached the enchanted chain around it. The boy looked down at said wrist in what looked like a mix of shock and confusion and stared at Louis ridiculously. “Now if I’m not mistaken,” Louis sang, “you now must come with me. You’re going to be a gift for my girlfriend, Eleanor.”  
The boy smiled sarcastically once more. He did that a lot, Louis noticed. “Oh yes,” He breathed dreamily. “Nothing says romance like a kidnapped, injured man! I’m not going anywhere with you,” He spat in finality and then yanked on the chain that Louis was holding.  
Louis just yanked back and sat down, refusing to let the boy drag him along. “Let’s just rest for now,” Louis sighed deeply. “Don’t get any ideas.” He then laid on the cold, hard ground and closed his eyes as he felt the star’s own on the back of his head.  


_Meanwhile, across Stormhold, the evil wizard, Simon, and the three princes were preparing for their journeys. The three princes met in the throne room with the bishop to make a toast to luck on their difficult adventure; However, one of the cups contained poison, and the third brother found himself gasping for breath before he died right at the feet of his siblings. The eldest cackled in victory, and eyed his brother venomously. Two left._  


Louis awoke to a tugging on his wrist, and lifted his head groggily. A few feet from him, he saw star-boy attempting to bite the chain in two. Ha. As if. “Don’t you ever sleep?” Louis muttered.  
The boy turned and glared at him, “Not at night. May have escaped your notice, genius, but that’s when stars have better things to do,” He saw the boy smile to himself. “They’re coming out, shining, that sort of thing.” The boy shrugged and returned to picking at the chain around his wrist.  
Louis grumbled to himself and sat up. He didn’t have time for the boy’s snarky attitude, not when he was exhausted as fuck. “Yeah, well it may have escaped your notice, but you’re not in the sky anymore,” Louis almost hesitated at the hurt look that the boy sent him. Almost. “Coming out and shining is out of the question right now. Get some sleep why don’t you?” Louis then said, patting the ground, “there won’t be any sleeping during the day…unless you have some magical ability that allows you to sleep while walking.” He chuckled to himself.  
The boy groaned and turned to face Louis completely. “Have you not got it into your thick head yet? I’m not walking anywhere. Especially with you!”  
Louis shot the boy a glare and stood up, picking his jacket up off the ground. “Fine. Stay here and sit in a crater. I’ve had enough of you anyway.” He crossed his arms petulantly. “I was gonna put you back in the sky as soon as I brought you to Eleanor, but whatever. I mean, your choice, Curly.”  
Louis thought he might’ve saw a hint of a smile cross the boy’s face but it was gone in a flash. “And just _how_ were you planning to get me back in the sky?”  
Louis scratched his head in thought and then remembered the candle his mother gave him. “Maybe this could help?” He held it up in front of star-boy’s face and watched his eyes widen.  
“You’ve got a Babylon candle!” He exclaimed excitedly, more enthusiastic than Louis had seen him all night.  
“Uhh, yeah,” Louis mumbled. “A bubbling candle.”  
Harry stared at him for a moment. “Babylon candle,” He said slowly.  
“Yeah that’s what I said.”  
“You said bubbling.”  
“Okay whatever,” Louis said, exhausted. “I was going to let you use what’s left of it to get back up into the sky.”  
The boy sighed and stared at the ground. “That barely has one use left.”  
Louis put his hands on his hips in an attempt to be intimidating. “Hey, be thankful I’m even giving it to you at all! I could be using this to get us back to the wall, you know.” Louis smirked. “You got a better way of getting yourself home?”  
“Ugh!” The boy yelled after a moment’s hesitation. “Fine,” he held out his hand expectantly for the candle. Louis put it in his hand and then helped the boy up.  
“Off we go then,” Louis smiled at the boy. He just rolled his eyes. As usual.

_Not far away, the wizard and the remaining two princes were well on their way into their journeys. The wizard, who had transformed a local villager into a goat to pull a cart, rode swiftly down the dirt path just 100 miles from the crater. The eldest prince was sat upon the most beautiful black stallion in the whole kingdom, accompanied by six other brave knights. The second eldest prince sat commandeering a carriage of six of the strongest horses. The two brothers were determined to find the necklace before the other, and the wizard was just as determined to find his star._

“Are you sure that you know where you’re going?” Louis heard the boy grumble from behind him. He felt a tug on the chain every few steps, and somehow felt a bit of satisfaction in the fact that this clumsy boy couldn’t walk to save his life.  
“Yes,” Louis chirped.  
“Oh? And how so?” The boy asked mockingly. “Because as I recall, we are on our way back to the wall, where the _other side_ is your home. That right so far?”  
“…yes,” Louis muttered hesitantly.  
The boy barked out a laugh, surprising Louis. “So how in the hell do you know your way through Stormhold? This isn’t even your world!”  
Louis pouted as he continued dragging the boy along behind him. “Yeah? Well, maybe it’s my love for Eleanor, guiding me home.”  
The boy snorted unattractively. “Yeah. Right.”  
Louis suddenly stopped and turned to face the boy behind him. “Listen Curly, I’m really not in the mood for your cheek so can you just…what are you doing?” Louis stared dumbstruck as the boy plopped down at the base of tree and leaned his head back against it, curly hair flopping into his eyes. He eyed Louis from his spot on the ground.  
“Sitting. What’s it look like? And my name is Harry, not Curly.”  
“No! You can’t sit now! We agreed we’d stop off at the next village!”  
Harry picked his head back up and frowned at Louis. “Come on, Louis, it’s midday. I’m never awake this late! Just…please, let me sleep.”  
Louis sighed in defeat and shrugged. “Fine, you can sleep. I’ll just…go find something to eat I guess.” He unhooked the chain from around his wrist and crossed over to Harry to tie it around the tree.  
Harry watched on with a stupid look on his face. “What are you doing?”  
“Making sure you don’t run off. Can’t have that, can we?” Louis smiled mockingly down at the young lad sitting against the bark.  
Harry fluttered his eyelashes at him and said sarcastically, “Awwh, you really don’t trust me?”  
Louis chuckled and turned away down the path. “Not a chance, Curly!”  
It was quiet for a few seconds before Louis heard a loud, “Its’ Harry!”


End file.
